"He went out and Suresh Raina led the side" - Ravichandran Ashwin reveals what makes MS Dhoni different from others

Ravichandran Ashwin played under the captaincy of MS Dhoni even before making his debut for Team India. The Tamil Nadu ace played under the legendary captain for the first time in 2009 when he represented Chennai Super Kings in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.

The spinner did not have the best of debut seasons in the IPL as he got to play only two games and picked up 2 wickets. However, he became a key member of the Chennai-based outfit in 2010, playing a huge role in the franchise's first-ever IPL trophy win.

In 12 games, he had picked up 13 wickets while maintaining a brilliant economy rate of 6.10. The brilliant performance paved the way for his foray into international cricket as he made his India debut in both the white-ball formats and soon became a regular in the national team as well.

Ravichandran Ashwin on MS Dhoni's captaincy:

Having played under MS Dhoni's captaincy for a long time, Ravichandran Ashwin recently opened up on what makes the former India captain different from the rest. In a recent interview, the veteran spinner recalled the 2010 IPL season when he played under the captaincy of not only Dhoni but Suresh Raina as well.

Raina had led CSK in a few games as Dhoni was sidelined due to an injury. Recalling the season, Ashwin highlighted how Raina struggled to get the best out of him but Dhoni managed to do it by using him inside the powerplay.

"I have known him (Dhoni) for almost 15-16-17 years from close quarters and with him, I find what he was in 2008-09 is exactly how he operates in 2024," Ravichandran Ashwin told Revsportz.

"That is fascinating for me and I remember that game in 2010 where he got hit by Shane Bond on his arm, I think at Eden Gardens I got a wicket. I got Bond out in that game but he (Dhoni) got hit on his arm and he went out of the side. But I have begun the IPL reasonably well. This is supposedly going to be my first full year in the IPL, and he went out and Suresh Raina led the side.

"I think they have probably slightly different views in terms of how they handle people. I did not bowl inside the Powerplay. I bowled slightly later because Muttiah Muralitharan and I were playing in the same team and I ended up bowling at death in Bangalore. I have not had a good time. I had let the team down on three occasions. After that, Dhoni led. But as soon as he came back to captain the side, he picked up the puzzle.

"I think he said, ‘I want that guy back’. I came back and he again used me with the new ball because he used me inside the Powerplay against Adam Gilchrist and I got him out in Chennai.

"And he used me again in those same roles and continuously used me like that for several years to follow. He used me inside the batting Powerplay, even when I played for India. So, I think that is quite a fascinating sort of a belief that he had and he kept it very simple when he told me things," he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin plied his trade for CSK from 2008 to 2015 before the franchise was suspended for two years. He later joined the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant before being signed up by Punjab Kings as CSK decided against buying him back when they returned to the tournament in 2018. Overall, Ashwin picked up 120 wickets for the franchise from 2009 to 2015.